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9 horror films perfect for a chilly night
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Horror is often the Hollywood equivalent of the TV dinner; as easy to make as it is bereft of substance. That easy recipe is usually three ingredients: a body-count script, bucket of dyed corn syrup, and a camera. Dim the lights and roll!
So many horror films are cranked out each year that sometimes its easy to forget that horror has also given us terrific essays on fear. More than just cheap scares, the really effective horror movie is the one that refuses to go away when the DVD has stopped. We close our eyes at night, and it plays again in the darkness around us.
The Shining - Stephen King's classic has yet to be faithfully brought to the screen, but out of the two versions that exist, Stanley Kubrick's version is the one that frightens. The Overlook Hotel is the perfect setting for Kubrick's obsession with isolation, and Jack Nicholsan as Jack Torrance is a mesmerizing psychopath. But it's those creepy girls in the blood-drenched hallway that steal the show.
Jacob's Ladder - Underrated and virtually forgotten by many, this 1990 horror is the thinking man's horror classic. Marked by a many-layered script and some of the freakiest images ever put to film, Jacob's Ladder has Tim Robbins in the role of a Vietnam veteran whose world is being ripped apart by a ghoulish, hideous menace.
The Mothman Prophecies - Another under-the-radar blip that has more than meets the eye. This disturbing chiller examines an encounter with the unknown, paranoia, obsession, and a slam-bam finale. It isn't easy to pull this kind of concept off, and I can only wonder how it got green-lighted by studio execs who often shy away from anything requiring thought. But it is good -- the kind of film you watch late at night, with your girl/boyfriend, while a good thunderstorm rages outside. As for the "based on the true story" tag-line, let's be nice and say "pretty unlikely," but as a work of fiction it was deeply enjoyable.
28 Weeks Later - One of the best horror films to come out in recent years, and a superior sequel to an excellent original (28 Days Later which, I have to say, borrowed quite liberally from the book Day of the Triffids.) Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo took the reigns from Danny Boyle and expanded the original concept as a sequel should. Part 1 gave a viral apocalypse; Part 2 takes a look at the pieces as England tries to recover from the horrific rage virus. The tension rarely flags throughout, and the audience is shunted from one nightmare to another. The only weakness was the latter half of the "father" story-thread.
Silence of the Lambs - Arguably the best of the best, showcasing cinema's favorite cannibal with Jodi Foster's investigator and the most terrifying taxidermist ever. If you're hungry for more Hannibal Lecter after this, go rent Manhunter and steer clear of the rest. Don't even whisper about Red Dragon.
The Grudge/Ju-On - Step into this haunted house, even for an instant, and you are done for. The most shocking, blood-chilling and grotesque examination of nasty vengeful spirits since The Exorcist, both the Japanese original and American remake have their strengths.
The Exorcist - Horror is more than a twisted mask, and this '70s classic firmly establishes a brooding, ancient evil which dares to strike at our most vulnerable sanctuary: The home. The extended cut actually improves on the original theatrical release with a few short scenes deemed too frightening for the time (but these scenes were in the book.)
Nosferatu - Dare to rent this 87-year-old silent film classic, and be rewarded with one of the very best vampire films ever made. Before bloodsucking parasitic corpses were turned into sexy goths, there was Max Shrek's long-fingered goblinesque freak. Atmosphere and sound make all the difference here; a classic as ageless as its title star.
Carrie - Another Stephen King story put to film, and fairly close to the book. Director Brian De Palma works his trademark camerawork to maximum effect, and teaches that all-important lesson: Don't pick on the telekinetic girl.
Got any you care to share (scare?)
